'Windows Risk Minimizer' is a Scareware Nightmare

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Anti-virus software is arguably the most critical component to
keeping you safe and your computer running smoothly, which makes
well-crafted fake anti-virus apps that take advantage of people's
security fears such a serious threat.

Symantec researchers have discovered a new fake AV app
called "Windows Risk Minimizer" that is particularly persistent
in scaring its victims into handing over their money. Promoted
through spam emails, the scareware scam starts when people click
on rigged links in the messages that take them to compromised
websites and, ultimately, to the site hosting the fake anti-virus
software.

The fake anti-virus software doesn't actually infect victims'
computers with any malware, but takes them through a serious of
hoops that could end with them paying for protection they don't
need.

The first part of the multistep fraud scheme arrives in the form
of a JavaScript alert claiming the fake AV software — in this
step, it's referred to as "Windows Secure Kit 2012" — "has
found critical process activity on your PC and will perform fast
scan of system files!"

If the poor wording doesn't tip you off that something is
suspicious and you click "OK," a fake threat scan appears to take
place, and, of course, it tells you, falsely, that yout your
computer is infected with numerous worms and Trojans, including
Morto, a particularly
vicious and evasive Windows worm found last August, as
well as Ramnit, a piece of financial malware capable of
harvesting Facebook users' credentials.

Scary, right? The crooks behind this scam hope so, and the
Adobe-Flash-based Web pages make the whole thing seem pretty
genuine. And it's a Microsoft product, so it has to be the real
thing, doesn't it?

To ease your insecurities, the scammers provide a convenient
pop-up "Windows Security Alert" informing you that your system is
"at risk of crash," but can be spared if you choose to eliminate
the Trojans by clicking "Remove All."

That button, however, is the trigger; clicking it prompts users
to download the malicious "Windows Risk Minimizer" program, which
identifies what it says are even more infections before
unleashing an onslaught of pop-up warnings and alerts, ultimately
leading to a page that offers to get rid of these problems for
$99.

Scareware scams, especially multistep ones like this, can be
difficult to extract yourself from once you've taken the bait,
but legitimate anti-virus software can detect these impostors
before they get to you. And a little skepticism — don't trust
unsolicited emails, suspicious links or pop-up warnings — can go
a long way in keeping you safe.